Year Up

            Have you ever heard of “Year Up?”  Hopefully in the next couple of years, Year Up will be widely known like City Year and Teach for America.  Like City Year and Teach for America, Year Up is a program dedicated to filling in the gaps young adults fall through and helping young adults acquire skills to improve their lives.

            Year Up provides recent high school graduates and graduates with their GED who live in economically distressed communities an opportunity to participate in a year long jobs training boot camp.  What is unique about Year Up is that upon successful completion of the program, a majority of the participants secure full time employment as IT and Financial support with Fortune 500 companies such as J.P Morgan, American Express and Facebook[i].

            Year up participants spend six months working on technical projects such as building and maintaining computers to basic accounting and balance sheets.  Participants also work on soft skills and social skills, the skills needed to build the foundation to a career.  The remaining six months, participants work as interns in Fortune 500 companies as IT support or Financial support. 

            The founder of Year Up is Gerald Chertavian.  Gerald worked in Corporate America and in 1988volunteered as a Big Brother.  Being a mentor with a young man from an economically distressed community, Chertavian came to learn his mentee had “all the potential, but didn’t have the access and the opportunity…having seeing that for three years close up, I realized this was wrong[ii].”

            Using his own money, Chertavian started Year Up with 22 students with the purpose of creating a job boot camp that provides a pathway to good careers for young people who would otherwise never get the chance.  Since the inception of Year Up, the program has grown into 12 sites across the country training 2000 young adults for financial operations and IT jobs.  What is even more impressive is that after the completion of Year Up, 85% of the participants go on to attend college or are hired full time with an average salary of up to $50,000[iii].

            The success of Year Up has garnered the attention of President Obama who is looking to have Year Up replicated.  If Chertavian and President Obama are able to convince more CEO’s to get agree to embrace the Year Up model, young adults in economically distressed communities will have the opportunity to break the generational cycle of poverty. 

            Year Up is one of the most promising programs in decades. The program seeks to provide skills, opportunity and empowerment while challenging the systemic racial and economic bias in corporate America.

I believe Year Up could do for young adults living in economically distressed communities what the War on Poverty could not accomplish; break the cycle of generational poverty.

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[i] www.cbsnews.com/news/jobs-aids-fortune-500-underprivileged-youth

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

The Costs of Student Discipline Recommendations

            This past weekend while waiting in the line at the grocery store, I overheard two older women talking about “they heard Obama told the schools to stop calling the police on the kids for stupid stuff.”  One of the woman stated “it’s about time, but how much is it going to cost?”

            Cost?  Why did the two women believe that monetary costs would be attached to the Obama Administrations recommendations to schools on student discipline?  Did the two older women understand what the recommendations were trying to accomplish?

            When you consider the “cost” of the recommendations to schools by the Obama Administration, the question becomes, can you put a monetary amount on equity and fairness in student discipline? 

            The recommendations to schools called for changes in policy and the culture of criminalizing behaviors.   When reading the article on the recommendation to schools, I viewed the “cost” not in a monetary sense, but a cost of change in systemic, cultural and personal processes.  Schools are being told to remove bias, stereotypes and intolerance when it comes to student discipline and students of color.  Teachers and administrators are challenged to be student centered and work on alternatives to suspension, expulsion and involvement of law enforcement.  Lastly, school police are asked to become more involved with students on a personal level while they are in the building. 

If more students are able to graduate and not have their futures ruined by a student discipline process that involved law enforcement, then the changes schools are asked to do by the Obama Administration will give students of color opportunities to become productive citizens, which in turn benefits the economy.  Therefore, the costs of the recommendation to schools would be neutral in monetary sense; the cost of systemic change in schools is time.

If cost of instilling equity, fairness and student centeredness in student discipline is time, I think that is a cost everyone can live with.

Revising Student Discipline

                Last week the Obama Administration issued recommendations on school discipline.  The purpose of the recommendations was to end the racial disparities in punishment for violations of school policy[i].

                Pointing to “zero tolerance” policies as the primary reason for the racial disparity in punishment, Attorney General, Eric Holder argues that too often zero tolerance policies infused the criminal justice system as part of the punishment.  Attorney General went on to further argue that:

                                “Ordinary troublemaking can sometimes provoke responses

                                that are overly severe, including out of school suspensions,

                                expulsions and even referral to law enforcement…then you

                                end up with kids that end up in police precincts instead of the

                                principal’s office[ii].”

                The statements made by Attorney General Holder reflect the data collected by the Office of Civil Rights which found that African-American students were more than three times as likely as whites to be expelled or suspended.  Additionally, more than half of students involved in school related arrests or referred to law enforcement were African-American or Latino.

                To change the approach schools handle discipline, Obama Administration recommended:  1) ensure school personnel understand they are responsible for administering routine students discipline instead of security or police officers; 2) Draw clear distinctions about the responsibility of school security personnel; 3) Provide opportunities for school security officers to develop relationships with students and parents; 4) Establish procedures on how to distinguish between disciplinary infractions appropriately handled by school officials compared with major threats to school safety [iii].

                The recommendations by the Obama Administration clearly placed schools on notice that the racial disparity in student discipline has become so bad the Administration felt compelled call for change.  The recommendations also informed schools not to criminalize behaviors that should be handled at the school level.  Finally, the recommendations call for schools to adhere to the principles of fairness and equity in student discipline or they will face strong action if they don’t[iv].

The recommendations by the Obama Administration have asked schools to get back into the business of equal and fair student discipline by retaking control of the process and to help students get back on track without involving law enforcement.  By doing this, there should be an end to racial disparity and criminalization in the student discipline process.  If not, schools will have to face strong sanctions from the Federal government.

Thank you President Obama for taking on this important and overlooked problem.  The futures of too many students of color have been side-tracked or lost because of the criminalization of the school discipline process.  By putting the onus back on schools to discipline with equity and fairness, less students will leave school without a criminal record and hopefully go on to become productive citizens.

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[i] http://news.msn.com/us/government-offers-new-approach-to-classroom-discipline#tscptme

[ii] ibid

[iii] ibid

[iv] ibid

New Year's Resolution

                We have just entered into a New Year.  Many people see the New Year as an opportunity to change, to grow, to take risks.  The New Year also provides the opportunity for a fresh start.  One of the many things people do is to make resolutions for the New Year.  Usually it is the adults that make resolutions while young adults just view the New Year as another day.

The idea of change, growth, risk and a fresh start got me to think about how we should use these motivational ideas with young adults in school.  What would happen if parents and teachers talked to young adults about using the New Year as an opportunity to change, to grow, to take risks and to have a fresh start in school?

                What if young adults were asked by their parents and teachers to use the New Year to make resolutions on improving their grades, improving their behavior or becoming involved in school clubs?  What if young adults were told they could have a fresh start in school if they made resolutions and committed to keeping those resolutions?  What if the young adults knew they could be supported by their parents and teachers in their attempt to achieve their New Year resolutions in school?

                On the first day back to school, how would young adults feel if their teachers welcomed them back and told them “today is a new year and in this New Year we are all off to a fresh start?”  If teachers set the tone for young adults by letting them know they will encourage and support their efforts to change, grow and to take risks, young adults may re-engage, work harder or expand their mastery of the academic content.  

If young adults had the support of their parents and teachers to encourage them to sustain and achieve their New Year resolutions for school, how transforming would that be for young adults and for education?

All I Want for Christmas

                Every year at Christmas time at some point we hear “All I want for Christmas is…Usually this is followed by 1) peace on earth, 2) end war, 3) end poverty and and 4) a lot of money. 

However, I have never heard anyone say all I want for Christmas is: 1) equitable funding for education, 2) safe schools, 3) dedicated teachers or 4) children to learn.  Why is this?  With the commercialization of Christmas targeting the dreams of children, you would think we would want more for our children? 

Can we have peace on earth, end war, poverty, or have a lot of money if there continues to be inequitable funding for education, if our children do not have safe schools or dedicated teachers?  If our children are not learning can those things be achieved?

Happy Christmas Everyone!

How will the Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela be Taught in Our Schools?

            As we mourn and celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, I began thinking how will his legacy be remembered in the pages of our children’s school textbooks and in their schools?

            Reflecting on how the textbook industry portrayed Dr. King’s life and legacy, I wondered if the textbook industry would portray Mandela as it has portrayed Dr. King’s life and legacy.  The textbook industry has summarized the life and legacy of Dr. King and reduced it to a footnote that could be placed on a tombstone.  Recalling the textbooks of my school age years, Dr. King’s life and legacy could be summed up like this:

“a Baptist preacher who fought for Civil Rights, is famous for “I Have a

Dream” speech and was killed in Memphis Tennessee.” 

Will Mandela’s life and legacy suffer the same summarization and reduction as Dr. King? When the next generation of young adults read about the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, would his life be summed like this:

“an indigenous leader who fought to end Apartheid, spent 27 years in prison, was released and became the first black President of South Africa.”

If our children’s textbooks are not reflective of the journey and struggle Mandela took from revolutionary leader to terrorist, from prisoner to President, will their teacher’s fill in the gaps and provide proper instruction on the importance of Nelson Mandela’s fight to end Apartheid?  Will teachers discuss how Mandela chose the path of forgiveness, embraced racial reconciliation and national unity to heal a nation?  Will our children be taught to look critically beyond the textbook portrayal Mandela (and others) to understand the role character, courage and commitment play in ending racial discrimination?  Will our children be taught they have these qualities in them?  Will they be taught they have the potential to be a Nelson Mandela?

I was fortunate enough to have family who helped me to understand the significance and magnitude of Dr. King’s legacy by filling in the gaps that were missing from my school textbooks.  I hope when students learn about Mandela, the content in their textbooks will capture the life and legacy so students can understand the magnitude of the Mandela’s legacy, have meaningful discussions with teachers, family and friends dare to dream they can change the world.

What if We Believed Children Were Our Future?

I believe children are our future

Teach them well and let them see the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Driving into work Whitney Houston’s song “The Greatest Love of All” played.  The song made me think if we really believe children are our future?  If we believe children are our future, wouldn't we as a nation do better for our children?

As a nation, a majority of our children receive mediocre health care, a majority do not receive a world class education and a majority go hungry and are homeless.  If we believed children are our future, more parents would demand access to affordable health care as their right as a citizen of the United States, not a privilege to be toyed with by politicians.  More Governors, Mayors and local leaders would create legislation to improve the education of children, reduce the cycle of poverty and take back neighborhoods so communities can thrive. 

If we believed children are our future, our nation would have universal early childhood programs to provide children a solid foundation to begin their education.  More of our Congressional leaders would vote to appropriately fund public education so children can receive the world class education they deserve. Our Congressional leaders would make the education of children a top priority.

If we believed children are our future, our schools would be a place where learning occurs, a place where children feel safe, a place with resources to support struggling learners, a place where parents and teachers are partners.  More teachers would be advocates of children and provide their students with the same education their children receive in private, parochial and suburban schools.  More administrators would hold teachers accountable for the academic failures of children instead of blaming the child.  Lastly, Districts would hold Principals accountable for schools that fail to meet the educational needs of children.

Finally, if we believed that children are our future, more parents would demand more from their schools.  More parents would attend parent/teacher conferences, volunteer in their child’s school and demand more accountability from Principals and teachers.  More parents would also read to their children, make sure their children are studying and their homework is done.

If we truly believe that our children are our future, it will take an investment from everyone to secure their future.